Please help me, tea people!

[jedishampoo]

All right, I know I have lots of tea-lovers on my flist, so I knew this would be the best place to ask. I love tea. I like to drink it in many forms -- latte, black, green, hot, iced, etc. I bought some bubble-tea supplies from nuts.com (great site), and some lovely matcha from there as well, even though I failed at mixing it.

But I've never entered the world of looseleaf tea. I know, right? I use teabags or instant. To me, the "good" tea is PG Tips, because I have to get it at the British Imports. But there are so many beautiful-sounding teas out there. And all these stores! All of which will tell you that "their" tea-brewing equipment is the best. But I trust you more, my friends!

So please, tell me, what is an easy, but also inexpensive, way to brew loose-leaf tea? I know tea balls won't work with some of the looseleaf stuff with big chunks? I've seen some nifty personal infusers but have no idea which is best.

And if you have any tea recommendations, I'd love 'em! I tend to go for dark, very brisk teas, or maybe some with citrus elements. I love caffeine.

Thank you! ♥

Comments

[despina_moon]

I gots nothing! But when (yes, WHEN!) I come visit, I'll bring you some ...

[jedishampoo]

YAY~! Come out now!

I did buy a nice, cheap, stovetop kettle on E-bay yesterday. Mine had to be thrown out because it was copper and turned blue, ew.

[7veils]

PG Tips is an Assam blend tea? I'm not a tea drinker, but for black/red tea, my roomie suggests any of the Gongfu or Junmei blends (lapsang souchong), Keemun, Taiwanese tea, Darjeeling/Nepal Crush Tear Curl tea, and Sri Lankan (Ceylon) lowland tea.

[jedishampoo]

Ooh, those sound cool. Thank you! And the roomie.

Someone else suggested the lapsang souchong. I think I'll try and track some down. If it's an acquired taste, I usually seem to acquire it.

[7veils]

Wikipedia cites this cultural reference:

In American author, James A. Michener's, 1974 historical novel Centennial, Rocky Mountain fur trapper, Alexander McKeag, describes lapsang souchong as "a man's tea, deep and subtle and blended in some rugged place [...] better even than whisky."

Don't let that manliness-bit turn you off.

[jedishampoo]

Well, just the name alone sounds badass, even before the manliness bit.

[7veils]

The Brits call it "Gunpowder Tea" and it does have a touch of saltpeter flavour to it. It's the best tea for smoking food.

Personally, if I absolutely had to drink something that wasn't coffee, I would go for a nice Darjeeling from Nepal: rich red with honey under-notes, goes down as smooth as old Bordeaux.

[jedishampoo]

Aaaaah, I just have to tell you, I bought myself some lapsang souchong, and it was AWESOME. It tastes like an October bonfire in my mouth, with a little milk and sugar. Instant good mood. I can't wait to try some more teas (I'll remember the darjeeling, too).

[rroselavy]

For black/caffeinated teas, I love Earl Grey. I also adore jasmine infused green tea and peppermint tea.

I bought a cup with a lid and a ceramic infuser from Amazon which brews tea nicely.

[jedishampoo]

I like some Earl Grey, too, with milk. It's sort of peppery?

And thank you!

[rroselavy]

Yep, I drink it with milk, too! I love the smell of the bergamot.

[whymzycal]

Bodum's stuff is pretty good for loose-leaf tea, either larger batches or single serve. I have a single-serve loose-leaf brewing thingy I got from Starbucks ages ago, and it's awesome.

[jedishampoo]

The single-serve things seem to be popular. I think I might try the fillable bags first and then maybe graduate? Thankya, lady!

[whymzycal]

I also like Republic of Tea for fairly inexpensive loose-leaf teas. You can get them at Whole Foods or Cost Plus, which is where I find mine. I'm sure they have them other places, too, like at the market. And don't be afraid to mix-and-match teas! Mixing teas is awesome.